A Stable Aromatic Tetrasilacyclobutadiene Dication.

The isolation and characterization of the first silicon analogue of the aromatic cyclobutadiene dication is reported. The aromatic 2π-electron tetrasilacyclobutadiene dication in [(LPhSi)4](BPh4)2 (LPh = PhC(NtBu)2) has been obtained in a simple and straightforward synthesis, from [LPhSiCl], [LPhSiSiLPh] and NaBPh4, and fully characterized. The molecular structure reveals a four-membered Si4-dication in an almost perfect square-planar geometry. Theoretical calculations support the interpretation of the title compound as a classical 2π-aromatic species with a singlet ground state.